Fear
by Thunder-Nari
Summary: FireflyXMen crossover. MalCyclops. Slash. With the events in X3, Cyclops is transported 500 years into the future where he meets up with Mal and crew. And ends up getting chased by the same people that want River.


So. Here's the first part to the Mal/Scott fic. Takes place after Firefly and after X-Men: The Last Stand. Definitely spoilers for X-Men but only the beginning bit. So far, it's more like gen fic but there will be slash as we go on. River is probably going to play a fairly large part in this as well. And with River comes Simon, of course. :) It's also for 50darkfics, for the prompt "Fear".

**Fear**

"There's a new reading."

The voice reaches her as she writhes in the chair but the straps hold her down, keep her where they want her. Bite into her wrists as she tries to crane her head uselessly away from the thing that it's strapped into. There isn't escape for her though. It digs into her skull and rips it's way in... It's too much, too much. She wants to scream but her voice has been stolen. No use for a voice when everything they wanted was just ripped from her head. All the voices there. All the pictures. The screams and the pain and fear...

She tries to latch on to the sound of the voices that manage to reach her over the clamor in her head. The real ones, the physical ones, the ones that don't hurt her. She hopes that it will make it less intense, something else to focus on. It just makes her want to scream louder.

"Where is it?"

They're asking her and she wants to hold it from them, show a little defiance, save a life in sacrifice of her own. She doesn't have the courage, she just wants this to stop and one word will make that happen.

i Persephone /i . She thinks it so loud, screams it through her mind, through the minds of everyone in the building.

The buzz of the cage over her head shuts down and she slumps with relief into a stupor.

This one was difficult to see into. There's only one that's ever been worse.

She dimly hears the voices once more, the words lingering but no longer having much meaning. She's too tired to make sense.

"Send the Agents to Persephone immediately."

She drifts off into sleep. Glad for rest, wishing someone else didn't have to suffer so that she could get it.

* * *

Even Mal has to admit that it's occasionally nice to set foot planet side. The heat of the sun, the dirt underfoot. A few too many people for his liking, though, especially on the Eavesdown Docks. Especially during the planets summer months. Tourists. Couldn't help running into them every few feet. People just not looking where they were going.

Or trying to rob him.

Mal grabs the arm of the little brat that's trying to pull a fast one on him now. Scared eyes look back at him and a shaking hand gives him back the very few credit's he'd had in his pocket. Mal takes them with a raised eyebrow and the kids knees seem to nearly buckle with just the look before he's off into the crowd, fleeing for his life. Mal grins. Yeah, he can handle being planet side on occasion.

Who the hell knows where the others have gotten themselves to though. All wandered away to do their separate things, which is fine but if Wash turns off his and Zoe's radio again, Mal is gonna have something to say about it. With a smirk he thinks about broadcasting something in a panic, scare the go se outta all of them but no. Let them have a few hours fun and then they've all got to get out of here. Lucky for them that Mal is feeling in a might charitable mood.

He weaves through the crowds, ignores most of the people except those who look like they might be some sorta trouble. Those get a second look with a flicker of challenge. None of them will take him up on it.

And just like that, he starts to get bored. Not much excitement to be had when they're only here for routine stalking up. Getting protein and medical supplies to stop the vein in Simon's head pulsing so much. Refueling the ship. Letting Kaylee rummage for spare parts. And he gets to hunt down a job which seems pretty fruitless this trip around.

Why did he think he actually enjoyed being planet side? It was past time to head back to the ship and wait for the others to straggle in or to start yelling at them over the comm.'s to hurry.

He stops abruptly, partially surprised that no one runs into him from behind, and turns on a heel to start the march back to the ship. He's not sure how far he's managed to get himself. Can't have been too far, though, as he comes face to face with terrified brown eyes and sharp fingers that are clawing into his shirt, his chest.

"It hurts." The whimper is barely heard over the noise of the street.

"River, what the gorram- Stop it." Her fingers hurt and he grabs her shoulders, pushing her to arms length, making her cry out and crumple to the ground. He stares at her in shock for a moment before he goes down next to her. "Where the rutting hell is the doc..." Mal is looking around for him but sees no sign. Great time for Simon to let his sister out of sight but there's no way he can be too far.

"No, it hurts. It hurts and you have to do something. Make it stop!" She's yelling at him, people are stopping, and her hands, her fingers, claw at her hair now instead.

Mal looks around, looks around them and tries to get his arms around River to stop her. "Doc! Simon, where the hell are you?"

He pulls River to him, trying to get her wrists, but she's struggling like some terrified animal. A hard shove to his chest has both of them falling back just as Simon comes weaving his way through the crowd. He's running as soon as he sees them and Mal's never been so happy to see the doctor.

"River, no." Simon starts in alarm and drops to the ground by River, reaching for her as he does so but she's scrabbling away from them, shaking her head.

"You can't see."

"River..." Simon looks to Mal but like he has any answers when it comes to River. That's Simon's area, not his.

Mal gets to his feet but River is too quick for either of them. She's up and off, lithe body weaving on light feet through the crowds. Simon is after her without a thought.

"Jen dao mei..." Mal mutters to himself as he watches them. He'd like to just let them both run right out of sight and out of worry. But that's not like to happen, he knows, and with a low growl he's taking off after them, not bothering to wind through the people that had better just get out of his way. Mal catches up to Simon easily enough but River is faster and seems to be keeping purposefully only just out of their reach.

There's an even larger disturbance than River further on. A veritable wall of people and River stops, letting Mal and Simon catch up, letting Simon pull her into his arms. She turns into the embrace and Mal overhears her words.

"It hurts. Make it stop."

And he gets now that she's not talking about herself. Creepy as hell but he shoves through the crowd anyway.

Pushed up against the wall, the man that everyone has crowded around looks terrified. His eyes are closed. Ready to cower down and hide from some beating... The wall is nearly crumbling down behind him. One word falls over and over from his lips. "Jean Jean Jean..."

Mal shakes his head and pulls away to go back to the other two and usher them off. Crazy guy on the street ain't their problem. And the crowd looks like they're set to turn on him any moment. Mal doesn't need them getting mixed up in whatever the hell this is.

"Come on!" he barks out at the other two. "We're getting out of here."

"But, Mal, what about-" Simon protests softly as River shakes against him. Always did have to question every gorram thing Mal said.

"Ain't our concern," Mal cuts him off and is already walking away. "Get moving." It's all too tense here and things are going to explode soon. They have to be out of here before that happens. "Ma shong!"

"No!" Gorram feng le girl can't take an order either. She's broken away from Simon who tries unsuccessfully to reach for her. "No. Two by two..." Mal doesn't miss the wash of panic that comes over Simon at River's uttered words. "You have to help."

"River, mei mei..." Simon is still reaching out for her but she's keeping just a step out of his grasp, shaking her head violently.

"No! They're coming. We have to go."

"That's what I'm tryin'- River! Gorramit, doc." He glares at Simon. Can't keep a hold on his own sister and she's attracting far too much attention to them. Seems things can't even go smooth picking up supplies.

River is already through the crowd, shoving them aside with too much ease. Simon and Mal are right on her tail again. She goes straight to the crazy guy cowering against the wall. The first touch she lays on his arm sparks off a reaction that has both Mal and Simon darting forward to protect her. A smooth drop to the ground and the guys leg is sweeping out to knock River off her feet before he's springing back up to a defensive stance. Trained.

Mal grabs his comm as he shoulders through the crowd. "Zoe. Jayne. We could use some backup here."

"On our way, sir." Always a relief to hear Zoe's voice.

The crowd is pressing in on the guy now and Mal doesn't have much chance to wonder just what the hell he did. He draws his gun and fires twice into the air. That gets everyone to back off. Simon is already at River's side, holding her back when all she wants is to get back to Mr. Crazy there. Who looks like he's going to panic, only just keeping himself together and Mal can't fathom why the hell he's got his eyes closed now. Clenched shut like he's afraid to open them.

Mal steps in front of the three of them and turns to the pissed off looking mob. "Y'all wanna just be backing off. Just wanna grab my people and we'll be out of your way."

There's an angry press forward and Mal aims his gun at them again. He gives a quick look back at Mr. Crazy who's taking a step away but he only meets up with the partially destroyed wall he'd been pressed against when they first showed up. These folk are out for this man's blood and Mal ain't looking to save him if they've got reason to be.

"What'd this man do to you?" He spots Zoe and Jayne coming up behind the crowd and gives them a nod to wait.

"Destroyed the building! He nearly killed us!" more than one person in the mob shouts out.

"No!" This from that man and Mal's not heard anyone this scared for awhile. Until he hears River yelling out the same thing and Simon can't hold her anymore.

A look to Jayne and the merc is there, faster than he should be through the people and grabbing River by the arms. Dragging her off none to gently and Simon is right there with them. Mal checks to make sure Zoe is holding her position before giving a disarming smile to the people.

"We'll just get him outta your way for you, then." Mal already knows that this is going to be a problem before the man starts to protest. He doesn't give it much of a chance, a quick turn and he's slamming the butt of his gun into the guys head. He goes down with a little gasp and Mal stoops down next to his side. He doesn't need to worry about the people, he knows he's got Zoe covering his back. It takes a moment to get the man hoisted over his back, across his shoulders, so that he can stand with him. "So if you wouldn't mind getting out of ours."

It's far from a request and they don't protest. Mal knows it's the guns.

He doesn't get two steps before he can hear River screaming and then they're all running, not even knowing what from. He's starting to learn to trust that girls intuition though. Or whatever it is.

He's starting to think it's a whole hell of a lot more than that.

Starting to think that he really hates being planet side, too.


End file.
